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(ModeL) A. S. HELD.

DRIVE CHAIN LINK. No; 273,732. Patented Mar. 13,1883.

Wnepxe (/rlrwewfvg M451 TJNITED STATES PATENT Trice.

AUGUST S. HELD, OF FREEPORT, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO M. HETTINGER,

C. O. COLLMANN, FRED GUND, D. B. SOHULTE, JOHN ERFERT, D. KUEH- NEE, 0. B. SANFORD, G. H. LITTLE, AND F. BARTLETT, ALL OF SAME PLACE.

DRIVE-CHAIN LINK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 273,732, dated March 13, 1883.

Application filed March 6,1882. tModel.)

To all whom tt may concern Be it known that 1, AUGUST S. HELD, a citizen of the-United States, residing at Freeport, in the county of Stephenson and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Drive-Chain Links, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of drivechain links which may be readily coupled or uncoupled when desired, but which are practically free from liability to accidental uncoupling when in use.

The form of the links and the manner in which they are coupled is shown in the drawr5 ings herewith presented, in which- Figure 1 is a horizontal projection of two links coupled and lying in the same plane. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the same, the plane of section passing through line m n, Fig.

1. Fig.3 is a horizontal projection ot'two links in the first position assumedin coupling. Fig. 4 is a vertical section of same, the plane of section passing through the line 1' s, Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a vertical section of two links in posion shown in Fig. 1, plane of section passing through linep q, Fig. 1; and Fig. 6, a perspective view of a single link.

In Figs. 3 and 4 the outer ends of thelinks,

or those not placed in contact in coupling, are 0 cut away.

The link is an open rectangle, having plain cylindrical side bars, a a, an end bar cylindrical and of a diameter greater than that of the side bars, except at its middle, where for a portion of its length it is reduced in size, the reduced portion being also cylindrical, but of a diameter less than that of the side bars, and an open socket at the end of thelink opposite the end bar, said socket being a hollow cylin- 40 der of an inner diameter slightly greater than that of the enlarged portion of the end bar, and provided through its entire length witha slot opening on one side of the link parallel with the end bar, but of varying width, its 5 Width at one end for a distance equal to the length of the reduced portion of the end bar being the same as the diameterof said reduced portion, its width at its middle and for a distance equal to the length of the enlarged portions of said end bar being greater than the diameter of said enlarged portion, and its width through the remainder of its length being equal to the diameter of the side bar of the link. This unequal width of the slot is attained by recessing the opposite lips of the 5 hook at their centers. As shown, the outer lip of the hook is straight, except for the recess, while the inner lip consists of two parts, 9 h,

'on opposite sides of the recess E, the part It projecting beyond the line of the part 9, and so contracting the slot at that portion. (See Fig. 6.)

In the drawings, a a are the cylindrical side bars; b b, the enlarged cylindrical parts of the end bar, and c the reduced cylindrical part of the end bar, its diameter being less than that of the side bar. In practice the length of these three parts of the end bar will probably be equal; but this is notabsolntelynecessary.

In the same figures,f is that part of the slot of the socket having a width equal to the diameter of reduced end bar, 0, and a length equal to that of said reduced part. c is that part of said slot having a width greater than that of the enlarged part of said end bar and alength equal to said enlarged part;- and d is the remainder of the said slot, its diameter being the same as that of the side bar a. In prac-' tice, if the lengths of the parts I) b c of the end bar are equal, the lengths of the parts (I e f will also be equal.

To couple two links, the parts 1) and cot the end bar of one link are inserted in the parts 0 and fot' the slot of the other link, the two links assuming the relative positions shown in plan in Fig. 3 and in section in Fig. 4. The link B, Fig. 3, is then moved in the direction of the arrow until the corresponding side bars of the two links are in the same plane, when, by rotating the link B about its end bar as a pivot and away from the link A in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 4, the coupling is completed, the links assuming, when completely coupled and in the same line, the positions shown in plan in Fig. 1 and in sec- 5 tion in Figs. 2 and 5.

The operation of uncoupling is the reverse and an end bar at the opposite end, provided of that of coupling. with the lug h, recess a and cut-away portion Having described myinvention, what Icla-im g, and carrying an open hook, said book being as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, recessed at the middle of its lip and adapted isto receive the end bar of a similar link, all sub- 15 An open rectangular drive-chain link havstantially as and for the purpose set forth.

ing plain cylindrical side bars, a cylindrical AUGUST S. HELD.

end bar at one end of a diameter greater than Witnesses:

that of the side bars,but reduced at its middle J. A. SHUTZ,

to a diameter less than that of the side bars, LoUIs KAROHER. 

